Kenya has launched an investigation into reports that several of its citizens were trafficked to Russia and are now being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.

The Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing’Oei, on Saturday, September 20, 2025, said the government is actively following the situation and will provide updates as more information becomes available.

“We are keenly following information on three or four Kenyans allegedly trafficked to Russia and currently held as POWs by Ukraine. We shall provide additional information. In the meantime, we assure the families that our Mission in Moscow and our teams at HQ are pursuing the matter with all diligence,” he posted on X.

The case came to light after a video emerged of Evans Kibet, a 36-year-old Kenyan athlete, pleading with Ukrainian forces not to send him back to Russia.

In the video, Kibet said he was tricked into joining the Russian army and feared for his life. He told the Ukrainian soldiers that he had gone to Russia as a visitor and not for military service, but ended up in a military camp after signing documents he did not fully understand.

Kibet’s ordeal

Kibet’s story is part of a growing concern over foreign recruits being misled into participating in the conflict. According to the Ukrainian army brigade that released the video, Kibet approached their forces unarmed and asked not to be shot. His case is unusual because most foreign nationals captured in Ukraine either face serious harm or do not survive.

Korir Sing’Oei’s statement comes as Kibet’s family expressed both shock and relief that he is currently in Ukrainian custody, rather than Russia.

Family members described Kibet as a dedicated athlete who had built his life around running. He trained in Iten, a town known for producing world-class long-distance runners, but financial challenges prevented him from reaching the international level he aspired to.

In March, he sought help from a training partner to compete in Poland. When a sports agent later offered him a race in Russia, he took the opportunity, unaware it would involve military service.

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